I’m exhausted from the emotional weekend at the state tournament and slept in entirely too late for a couple days in a row. My son decided he wanted to dye a purple stripe into his hair. I helped him do that tonight while my Dak and Annika took down the ornaments down off the tree.

None of this has anything to do with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which is kind of sad. I haven’t had this day off of school in 14 years; this is the first one since starting at Forest Lake. It’s easy to have a day off and take it for granted: Labor Day, Memorial Day, and now Martin Luther King Day.

I am grateful for the brilliance, determination, and ultimately the sacrifice of Dr. King and his family. I have read memorials from his daughter and from others today that are heartbreaking and hopeful. It’s hard to read much these days because I literally have anxiety attacks if I think about things too much. Maybe it’s a defense mechanism, but I’ve gotten pretty numb from the news. It doesn’t keep me from acting in the real world – I support local movements, try to practice kindness in my interactions, and show up when I can – but I do feel less informed than I used to be due to anxiety.

Today, I rededicate myself to working to help realize Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of a more just world. It is hard work that doesn’t always have immediate rewards, and sometimes it feels like a losing battle. A quote, often attributed to MLK but which was actually formulated by Theodore Parker, might fit here: “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” I sure hope so.